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Install PowerPivot for Excel (SQL Server Books Online)

SQL Server PowerPivot for Excel is an add-in to Excel 2010 that you download from the web and use to create or view a PowerPivot workbook.

This topic contains the following sections:

Prerequisites

Download and Install PowerPivot for Excel

Verify Installation

Prerequisites

You must have Excel 2010 and Office Shared Features installed on your workstation. For more information, see workstation system requirements in Hardware and Software Requirements (PowerPivot for SharePoint).

If possible, start with a 64-bit Windows operating system that has a large amount of RAM. If you start with a 64-bit computer, be sure to install the 64-bit versions of Office 2010 and PowerPivot for Excel.

If you are installing Excel and PowerPivot for Excel on a Windows server operating system, add the NET Framework 3.5.1 feature, followed by the Desktop Experience feature. A reboot is required after you add these features.

Download and Install PowerPivot for Excel

  1. Go to the Microsoft Web site.

  2. Download either the x86 (32-bit) or the x64 (64-bit) version of PowerPivot_for_Excel.msi installation program:

    1. To install the 32-bit version, click the Download button. The 32-bit version is the default. Clicking Download selects the default.

    2. To install the 64-bit version, scroll down the page and select the 64-bit installation package.

  3. Double-click the .msi file to start the Setup wizard.

  4. Click Next to get started.

  5. Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.

  6. Enter your name, and then click Next.

  7. Click Install.

  8. Click Finish.

Verify Installation

Start Excel. After you install the add-in, you can open the PowerPivot window by clicking the PowerPivot tab on the Excel ribbon, and then clicking PowerPivot Window. An empty PowerPivot window opens over the Excel application window. You can then use the Import Wizard to add tables of data, create relationships between the tables, enrich the data with calculations and expressions, and then use this data to create PivotTables and PivotCharts.

Client application screenshot

The PowerPivot workbooks you create can be published to a SharePoint farm that has a deployment of SQL Server PowerPivot for SharePoint. For more information about server components, see PowerPivot for SharePoint and Installation (PowerPivot for SharePoint).